Robert (Rob) C Hoffman Jr, PE, CFEI Expert Witness
Curriculum Vitae

Publications


Contact this Expert Witness

  • Company: Creative Product Solutions, LLC
  • Phone: (269) 277-3115

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

General Specialties:

Engineering and Safety

Keywords/Search Terms:

fire, shock, burn, appliance, product, design, test, code, safety, failure, analysis, warning, instruction, literature, product safety, containment, inspection, litigation, product liability, expert

Education:

Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)I), National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI); Master certified in design for safety & force failure testing, Whirlpool; Certified Statistical Blackbelt, Six Sigma Associates, INC; BSME - high honors, Michigan Technological University

Years in Practice:

34

Number of Times Deposed/Testified in Last 4 Yrs:

2

Additional Information

Specialize in design for safety, force failure testing, and product litigation support for the consumer goods industry. Knowledge source in the US on appliance fires, with specific detailed knowledge on dryer fires and their causes. Qualifications: Registered professional engineer in the state of Michigan Certified fire and explosion investigator (CFEI) Master certified in design for safety Master certified in force failure testing Certified in experimental statistics and statistical process control Member of the UL Standards Technical Panel for appliance codes related to clothes washers and dryers I worked in the consumer goods industry in appliances for over 28 years, which gave me the opportunity to serve on the dryer safety committee for the American Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), as well as work extensively with Underwriters Laboratory ( UL) and CSA. Recognized as a significant knowledge source in the US on dryer fires and their causes, I was instrumental in the development of the clothes dryer drum containment standard recently implemented by all US codes agencies. I am certified to run both the UL and ANSI dryer drum fire containment test as well as the dryer base fire containment test. The training received to obtain master certifications in design for safety and force failure testing / analysis gives me broad experience in electric shock, over heated connections, arc tracking, contact burns, mechanical hazards, and codes standards. Design knowledge / experience includes the following: 1 Computer aided design CAD, 2 Simulation based design SBD, 3 Failure mode and effects analysis FMEA, 4 Statistical tolerance analysis, 5 Geometric tolerancing and dimensioning GD&T, 6 Design of Experiments DOE 7 Components of Variance COV 8 Statistical process control SPC Education: BSME - high honors, Michigan Technological University